Sport

Hargreaves in unprecedented fifth Valley triumph

RICHARD Hargreaves of Cross Roads created Worth Valley history when he won the Valley Merit for the fifth time at Cullingworth.

He swept Keighley’s Chris Wilson away in the final with a 21-11 victory. For good measure, he had also beaten his father Trevor with ease in the semis. Barry Humphreys was the other beaten semi-finalist.

Team games dominated last weekend. At Gargrave, the Skipton Veterans inflicted a defeat on reigning champions Halifax in the home leg to win 21-7 overall, thanks to great wins by Arnie Ripley, David Jacques, Trevor Birch and Kevin Burnett.

Halifax did not play very well however but made up for it in their home leg at West End. Here, the away team, so reliable in the past, could only manage two winners in Alan Pennington and Cliff Taylor but overall scrambled a 31-25 total victory. Next game is versus league leaders Huddersfield on Friday June 27.

The Yorkshire Pairs team easily defeated a poor Cheshire outfit in the British Parks Championship, with Peter Clark of Cross Roads winning in the away leg in Stockport after his recall to the team.

The county’s veterans were decisively beaten by old rivals South Yorkshire and only Ken Brenkley had anything to show for his efforts in the away leg in Sheffield.

The Worth Valley/Skipton Junior team also came a cropper again against Halifax B when they could only muster one winner in the shape of Andrew Peel at Hove Edge.

Qualifiers in the local prelims of the Yorkshire ABA Cockcroft Handicap played recently at Broughton Road were the Gargrave pair of Steve Longley and Martin Cox who go to the finals on June 29th at Thornhill C and BC.

The Skipton KO team events for the Clarkson and Supplementary Cups have now reached the quarter-finals. In the Clarkson, Silsden just scraped home against Addingham A, as did Oxenhope against a struggling Lund A. Cononley A beat their own B team and Cross Hills did likewise. Keighley A demolished SPF A at Lund Park.

In the Supplementary Cup, Oakworth performed a miracle to beat Steeton B at Lund Park bottom, winning by just two points, while also through are Steeton and Sutton A.

The Valley Vets travel to East End Park, Leeds, to carry on their good start in the Federation’s Over-60s League. They meet both Leeds A and C.

The Valley’s Senior Federation team meet old rivals South Lancashire in the District League Division Five on Sunday. The home leg is at Cross Hills at 2pm, while the strong away squad travel to Tyldesley Subs.

The Hargreaves Summer Doubles get underway next Tuesday with prelims at Silsden and Silsden PF (6.45pm).

Leading positions in the Skipton League see Cononley ‘A’ still leading Crosshills ‘A’ and Keighley ‘A’ by ten points. Colne Legion ‘A’ head Division Two ahead of Devonshire ‘B’ whilst Addingham ‘A’ have a one point lead ahead of Whinfield ‘B’. Strongest teams at the bottom of each section are Oakworth, Broughton ‘B’ and Crosshils ‘C’ as the season reaches half-way.